Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Wellington's Beehive was the venue for yesterday evening's unveiling of the fourth edition of the definitive guide to the practice and procedure of the New Zealand House of Representatives.

Politicians and parliamentary experts, both present and past, were in attendance for the launch of Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand — authored by former Clerk of the House of Representatives David McGee, and fully revised by Mary Harris (who was the Clerk until 2015) and David Wilson (the present office holder).

Clerks past and present, from left: Mary Harris, David Wilson and David McGee at last night's event
(Photo courtesy Office of the Clerk)

Speaking to the assembled guests, David Wilson praised the large team from the Office of the House of Representatives that had helped to bring this large book to completition, notably assistant editors Pavan Sharma and David Bagnall.

He noted that 12 years had passed since the previous edition, necessitating numerous revisions to content and structure of the book, including measures to make the work more accessible to readers.

Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand is available for the first time as an ebook, as well as an 896-page printed edition.

A splendid cake in a shape of the book, baked by Andie Lindsay, executive
assistant to the Clerk of the House of Representatives

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Hongi
Hika’s invasion of the Rotorua area in 1823 is one of the most dramatic and
daring assaults ever in New Zealand. Yet like much of our early history, the
details are unknown to many New Zealanders.

The
late Don Stafford committed himself to redress that imbalance – arguing
throughout his distinguished career that events like the Musket Wars deserve to
be studied no less than the Napoleonic Wars of the same period.

The distinguished historican dedicated his life and work to the Rotorua district, writing over 20 books on Rotorua and its history, including the monumental Te Arawa (published in a new edition last year by Oratia).

In A Wild Wind from the North: Hongi Hika's 1823 invasion of Rotorua, Stafford tells how Hongi’s Ngāpuhi forces roamed the North Island from the late 1810s seeking utu
(revenge) for past slights.

Te Arawa, inland and with their island stronghold
of Mokoia on Lake Rotorua, felt impregnable.

They did not count on Hongi’s epic
portage of canoes to the lake shores, from which an attack on Mokoia became
inevitable.

A Wild Wind from the
North not only tells the
story with Stafford’s flair and, but is also richly illustrated, including
modern photos of the locations depicted.

This new printing in a handsome hardback keeps true to Don's commitment to the great stories of our past. Click here for more info.